“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”, Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster 1973, B2 Horizontal (51.5 × 72.6 cm) P285

Japanese title: 「シェルブールの雨傘」(Sherubūru no Amagasa — “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”)
Size: B2 / 20 1/4 × 28 5/8 in (51.5 × 72.6 cm), horizontal format
Country / Distributor: Japan / TOWA

This Kazuo Kamimura design as a 1973 revival poster for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, measuring 51.5 × 72.6 cm. 

This is one of the most distinctive and desirable Japanese posters ever created for a French New Wave classic: a rare horizontal B2 design by celebrated manga illustrator Kazuo Kamimura (1940–1986), later famed for works including Lady Snowblood. It sits at the intersection of French cinema, Japanese graphic design, and manga history, and its unusual landscape format makes it especially elusive. The BFI has specifically noted Kamimura’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg design as unusual for being horizontal, which is a major part of its appeal to serious collectors of Demy, Deneuve, and exceptional Japanese poster art.

Design highlights
Kamimura transforms Demy’s lovers into an elegant, near-abstract embrace cut through by sheets of rain, with Geneviève’s flame-orange hair, a soft pink silhouette, and jewel-like umbrellas drifting across a pale field inside a vivid vermilion border. The composition is airy, romantic, and intensely graphic—closer to a standalone art print than a conventional film poster. It feels unmistakably Japanese in sensibility while perfectly capturing the bittersweet romantic mood of the film. As the BFI observed, it is essentially a Japanese take on a French movie, and an unforgettable one.

Cultural impact
Jacques Demy’s 1964 masterpiece is the celebrated all-sung musical whose Michel Legrand score and story of young lovers separated by the Algerian War helped make Catherine Deneuve an international star. It remains one of the defining achievements of the French New Wave and one of the most beloved movie musicals ever made. A Japanese revival poster this beautiful—especially one drawn by a major artist like Kamimura—beautifully reflects the film’s long afterlife and international cultural reach.

Condition
Overall excellent condition. There is light handling / surface wear, faint age toning and scattered marks to the blank reverse, and very gentle signs of age consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster. It presents beautifully, with strong, fresh colour and exceptional display impact. Please review the photos carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.

Dating / attribution
This design is catalogued by the National Film Archive of Japan and the Kamimura official site as Kazuo Kamimura’s 1973 revival poster for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

About Japanese B2 posters
The B2 is the classic Japanese cinema poster size, roughly 51.5 × 72.6 cm, produced for theatrical display. In this case the format is even more special: a horizontal B2, which is notably uncommon in Japanese film advertising and one of the reasons this Kamimura design is so admired today.